Inverted can detecting device



Feb. 15, 1966 c. w. STETTER INVERTED CAN DETECTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1963 INVENTOR Cunauas LU. $Ta'r1-Ez Feb. 15, 1966 c. w. STETTER INVERTED CAN DETECTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed June 5, 1965 DETEQTMG ST ATlON A INVENTOR CHARLES LU.$TETTE12 BY Z ATTORNEKg United States Patent 3,235,075 INVERTED CAN DETECTING DEVICE Charles W. Stetter, Fair Lawn, N.J., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 3, 1963,.Ser. No. 284,892 16 Claims. (Cl. 20981) This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in the art of manufacturing cans and more particularly relates to the conveying of cans having tear strips embodied in the bodies thereof. The invention primarily seeks to provide means for detecting cans which are being fed along in inverted positions and for facilitating the removal of such cans.

'For numerous reasons in the manufacture of cans, it is desirable to have the cans properly oriented. One example of where proper orientation is required is immediately prior to the placing of the cans in suitable containers for shipment to customers. Normally, cans are all like oriented. However, there are occasions when a can will be conveyed out1of its proper orientation. For example, it some times happens that a can is removed from a line for inspection and replaced thereto and is accidentally positioned in an inverted position with respect to the remainder of the cans.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a novel positive electric detector for detecting the fact that a can is inverted.

Another object of this invention is to provide in combination with a can conveyor a detector which includes a pair of contacts positioned along thepath of cans and being adapted to simultaneously engage a seam between a can end and a can body, and a projecting tongue of a tear strip of the can body or a bump on the can body.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel detecting apparatus for detecting when cans of the type including a body having a tear strip with a projecting tongue and a can end seamed to one end thereof, are inverted, the detecting apparatus including a pair of fixed contact bars which are positioned wherein one of the contact bars is engaged by the projecting seam and the can is rolled relative to the contact bars along the one contact bar so that the projecting tongue is brought into engagement with thesecond contact bar while the same is in engagement with the first mentioned of the contact bars so as to complete an electrical circuit between the contact bars.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel conveying means for a can line wherein cans are mounted in slightly tilted relation on a support so as to have rolling contact with a portion of the support, and a single conveyor belt is engaged with the cans remote from the rolling contact engagement of the cans with the support whereby the conveyor belt simultaneously moves the cans along the support and rotates the cans.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel detector for use in determining endwise orientation of members formed of electrically conductive material and having two axially aligned spaced'projections thereon, the detector including a pair of elongated contact bars positioned for engagement with the projections and there being provided feed means for moving the members past the contact bars while rotating the members to assure engagement of the projections of the members with the contact bars when the endwise orientation of the members is such to place the projections in the same planes as the contact bars.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel can conveying and detecting apparatus which includes a can support which is tilted'from a usual horizontal position transversely of the axis of the can support so that cans 3,235,075 Patented Feb. 15, 1966 moving along the can support are mounted for simultaneous sliding and rolling movement, and a single conveyor belt is provided for so engaging the cans to roll the cans along the support and thus effect the movement of the cans along the support while simultaneously loading the cans, and there is provided a pair of contact bars disposed in insulated relation and engageable simultaneously by axially aligned projections on the cans to indicate the orientation of each can as it passes along the contact bars.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel method of determining the orientation of cans which include a can body at one end secured thereto by means of a seam and the can body having a tear strip terminating at one end in a projecting tongue, the method including the steps of moving the can bodies past the contact bars and simultaneously rotating the can bodies as they move past the contact bars to assure the contacting of the contact bars momentarily by both the seam and the tongue to incorporate a circuit between the contact bars and thus automatically indicate the orientation of the can.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel detector for detecting the orientation of a can through the engagement of the contact bars by the seam of the can and a projecting tongue of a tear strip formed in the body of the can wherein the contact bar which is engageable by the seam is of a magnetic construction so as to assure the constant engagement of the seam with the magnetic contact bar as the can rolls along the magnetic contact bar so that at the time the tongue engages the other of the contact bars, the circuit will be completed there'between.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of a can line which includes means for detecting the existence of an inverted can and rejecting the same in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectionalview taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 and. shows the details of the contact bars of the detector and the relationship of an inverted can relative thereto.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 and shows the specific relationship of the projecting tongue of a can body with respect to an associated contact bar.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary schematic view showing a modified form of can ejecting means operated by the detector.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary schematic view showing the manner in which the inverted can detector may be utilized for interrupting the operation of the conveying means of the can line.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary schematic wiring diagram showing the manner in which a signal device is actuated by the detector.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there is illustrated a portion of a can line, generally referred to by the numeral 10. The can line 10 includes a belt type infecd conveyor, generally referred to by the numeral 11, for moving cans along the can line 10. The conveyor 11 runs continuously and is driven in any suitable manner. The cans C are delivered from the conveyor 11 to a can spacing turret, generally referred to by the numeral 12, which delivers properly spaced cans C to a conveyor, generally'referred to by the numeral-13,

along which inverted cans are detected in accordance with this invention. The conveyor 13 delivers cans to a take-away belt type conveyor, generally referred to by the numeral 14, which is suitably driven in any desired manner. It is preferred that the conveyors 11 and 14 be of the continuously operating type.

The conveyor 13 includes a suitable frame which is diagrammatically illustrated and which is generally referred to by the numeral 15. The frame 15, among other frame elements, includes a longitudinally extending frame member 16 which is shown in FIGURE 2 as being in the form of a channel member which faces generally downwardly and which has an upper surface disposed at an angle to horizontal, for example a 30 degree angle. The frame member 16 is a portion of a can support which includes an upper plate 17 and a lower support plate 18. The plates 17 and 18 are attached together and are secured to the frame member 16 in any desired conventional manner.

The lowermost side portion of the plate 17 is provided with an overlying strip 19 which is suitably secured thereto by means of fasteners 20. The strip 19 is formed of a non-magnetic, wear resistant material, such as a nonmagnetic stainless steel. A flat conveyor belt upper run 21 of substantially the same thickness as the strip 19 overlies and moves longitudinally along the upper side portion of the plate 17. The strip 19 and the belt upper run 21 serve as a base supporting structure for cans C.

It is to be noted that when a can C is properly seated on the strip 19 and the belt upper run 21, it is disposed in a tilted position and has a tendency to slide off of the strip 19 and the belt run 21 downwardly to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 2. In order to prevent this, during the movement of the cans C along the conveyor 13, a longitudinal can retainer 22 extends the first portion of the conveyor 13 for engagement with the upper portion of a can body of each can C. The can retainer 22 is adjustably positioned by means of a plurality of supporting angle brackets 23 each of which is adjustably secured to an upper leg 24 of a C-shaped bracket 25 by means of a bolt 26. A lower leg 27 of each of the C-shaped brackets 25 is secured to the undersurface of the plate 18 by means of a fastener 28. A similar can retaining member 29 extends along the remainder of the conveyor 13 in alignment with the can retaining element 22, as is shown in FIGURE 1, and is a continuation of a guide portion of the conveyor 14.

Referring once again to FIGURE 1 in particular, it will be seen that one end portion of the plate 17 is notched, as at 30, and a drive roller 31 for an endless conveyor belt 32, of which the run 21 is a portion, is positioned therein. The drive roller 31 is carried by a drive shaft 33 which is suitably journalled in the frame 15 and which is provided with a sprocket 34. A drive chain 35 is entrained over the sprocket 34 and a sprocket 36 carried by a drive shaft 37. The drive shaft 37 is suitably journalled in bearing blocks 38 carried by an extension 39 of the frame 15 and is coupled to a variable speed drive motor 40.

The end of the frame 15 remote from the drive roller 31 carries a pair of bearing blocks 41 in which there is supported a shaft 42. The shaft 42 carries an idler roller 43 which is aligned with the drive roller 31 and which receives the conveyor belt 32.

At this time it is pointed out that the can spacing turret 12 includes a fixed can support plate 44 which is horizontally disposed and which receives cans from the infeed conveyor 11. A can spacing turret member 45 having pockets 46 is disposed above the can support plate 44 and is supported by means of a vertical shaft 47. The vertical shaft 47 is suitably journalled for rotation in any desired manner and is provided with a bevel gear 48 with which there is meshed a bevel gear 49. The bevel gear 49 is carried by a shaft which is suitably journalled in bearing blocks 51 and is driven by means of a bevel gear 52 mounted on the opposite end thereof. The bevel gear 52 is meshed with a bevel gear 53 mounted on one end of a longitudinally extending drive shaft 54 which is suitably journalled in bearing blocks 55 carried by the frame 15. The shaft 54 is driven from the drive shaft 37 by means of a bevel gear 56 on the drive shaft 37 and a bevel gear 58 on the end of the shaft 54.

At this time it is pointed out that there is associated with the can support plate 44 a transition plate 59 which is generally aligned with the plate 17 and which slopes from right to left, as viewed in FIGURE 1. A second transition plate 60 is disposed intermediate the conveyors 13 and 14 and slopes so as to right the cans C as they pass from the conveyor 13 to the conveyor 14. For ease of illustration and understanding, the slant of the conveyor 13 has not been shown on the FIGURE 1 drawing, but is clearly shown in FIGURE 2.

It is to be noted that although the conveyors 11 and 14 are separately driven in that their functions are independent of the functions of the can spacing turret 12 and the conveyor 13, the can spacing turret 12 and the conveyor 13 are driven in unison.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG- URE 1, a reject tray 61 is provided for receiving rejected cans from the conveyor 13. The reject tray is generally horizontally dispose-d and includes a transition portion 62, as is best shown in FIGURE 2. A reject gate 63 is positioned alongside the path of movement of the cans C along the conveyor 13 and is pivotally mounted on a post 64 carried by a plate 65 which is suitably secured to the frame 15 and which slopes at the same angle as the transverse slope of the plate 17. A gate operating solenoid 66 is carried by the plate 65 and is coupled to the reject gate 63 by means of a suitable linkage 67. The gate operating solenoid 66 is of a conventional spring return type with the reject gate 63 being normally retained in an out-of-theway position alongside the path of movement of the cans C, as is shown in solid lines in FIGURE 1. The reject gate 63 is movable by the gate operating solenoid 66 to the dotted line position of FIGURE 1 in the path of cans C moving along the conveyor 13 with the result that the cans C engaged by the reject gate 63 are deflected onto the reject tray 61.

Referring now to FIGURE 2 in particular, it will be seen that there is illustrated the details of a detector contact bar assembly, generally referred to by the numeral 68. The detector contact bar assembly 68 is carried by the support plate 18 and includes a lower magnetic contact bar 69 and an upper contact bar 70. In the mounting of the contact bars 69 and 70, an insulated mounting block 71 is provided and is spaced from the upper surfaces of the support plate 18 by means of insulation 72. A strip of insulation 73 is disposed between the insulated block 71 and the underside of the upper contact 70. Other insulation 74 is disposed above the upper contact 70. The insulated mounting block 71 is provided with a plurality of bores 75 therethrough which are aligned with suitable openings 76 in the upper contact bar 70. An insulated sleeve 77 extends through each aligned opening 76 and bore 75 and has passing therethrough a fastener 78 which has the lower end thereof secured to the support plates 18.

It is to be noted that the lower contact bar 69 is partially received in the block 71. The lower contact bar 69 is held in place in the insulated block 71 by means of a plurality of studs 79 which are suitably attached to the back of the contact bar 69 and which pass through the insulated block 71. One of the studs 79 serves both as retaining means for the contact bar 69 and as an electrical connection therefor. An electrical connection is made with the contact bar by means of a fastener 80. It is to be noted that adjustment of the contact bar 70 relative to the contact bar 69 may be obtained by shifting the contact bar 70.

Referring once again to FIGURE 1 in particular it will be seen that there is illustrated schematically an electrical circuit which includes a first power line 81 extending directly to the gate operated solenoid 66. A second power line 82 extends to one terminal of a time delay relay 83, and a Wire 84 extends from the other terminal of the relay 83 to the solenoid 66. A wire 85 branches off of the power line 82 and leads to an amplifier 86. The wire 85 has a circuit controlling switch 87 therein. A second wire 88 branches off of the power line 81 and is coupled to the amplifier 86 to energize the same. A wire 89 extends from the amplifier 86 to the contact bar 70 while another wire 90 extends from the amplifier 86 to the stud 79 of the contact bar 69, The contact bars 69 and 70 are portions of a control circuit for the time delay relay 83 which is connected to the amplifier 86 by Wires 97 and 98 and this circuit has a separate power source which is illustrated as being in the form of a battery 91 incorporated in the wire 90.

Operation In the operation of the form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, cans C are indiscriminately fed by the infeed conveyor 11 to the can spacing turret 12. As required, the cans C are received by the can spacing turret 12 and are delivered in spaced relation to the conveyor 13. The cans are seated partially on the strip 19 and partially on the upper run 21 of the endless conveyor belt 32 and are moved by the endless conveyor belt 32. Since the conveyor belt upper run 21 is offset from the center line of the path of can movement, it will be seen that a spinning or rotating action is imparted to the cans so that they in effect slide on the strip 19 and roll along the can retaining elements 22 and 29. In order to obtain proper forward movement of the cans C along the conveyor 13, it is necessary that the endless belt 32 move substantially three and one half times as fast as the desired movement of the cans along the conveyor 13.

As a can C approaches the detector contact bar assembly 68, it is moved to the right, as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2, slightly by its contact with the contact bar 69 so that it moves slightly out of engagement with the can retaining element 22. At this time it is pointed out that the cans C being checked in accordance with this invention include a can body 92 which is provided with a can end receiving flange 93 at one end and is provided at the other end with a can end secured thereto by means of a projecting seam 94. In order to facilitate the ultimate opening of the can C, the can body 92 is provided with a tear strip 95 adjacent the seam 94. The tear strip 95 is provided with a slightly outwardly projecting starting tongue 96 which is best shown in FIGURE 3.

When the can C is properly oriented, the flange 93 is disposed lowermost and rests upon the strip 19 and the conveyor belt 32. When the can is so positioned, the flange 93 will engage the contact bar 69 and roll therealong while the can body will remain spaced from the contact bar 70. Accordingly, there is no completion of the circuit which the contact bars 69 and 70 are portions. On the other hand, should the can be invert-ed, as is shown in FIGURE 2, then the projecting seam 94 will engage and roll along the contact bar 69. As the can C is rotated, the projecting tongue 96 will come into contact with the contact bar 70, as is shown in FIGURE 3, and the circuit between the contact bars 69 and 70 will be completed through the can C. This will complete the circuit of which the contact bars 69 and 70 are a part, and the signal of this circuit will be amplified by the amplifier 86 and delivered to the time delay relay 83 for operating the same. It is to be understood that the delay mechanism of the relay 83 is of a nature whereby the reject gate is retained in a can rejecting position for a sufficient amount of time to assure that the detected can is delivered to the reject tray 61. Of course, this means that several cans will be delivered to the reject tray. However, the

rejected cans may be returned to the can line with the detected inverted can having been first properly oriented.

In view of the fact that there is rolling contact between the can being detected and the contact bars 69 and 70, in order to assure that an inverted can will be properly detected, it is necessary that the contact bars 69 and 70 be of lengths to permit a complete revolution of the can being detected and it has been found preferable to make this length 1.75 times the cans circumference.

At this time it is pointed out that the pull tab or projecting tongue of a tear strip, such as the tongue 96, does not always project sufficiently for engagement with the contact bar 70 to indicate that a can is not properly oriented. Accordingly, in accordance with this invention, a can may be provided with a projecting bump B of the type generally shown in FIGURE 3. The bump B, when rotated past the contact bar 70, will engage the contact bar and complete the circuit between the two contact bars 69 and 70.

It is not necessary that the bump B lie in the same plane as the tongue 96. In fact, normally the bump would not be formed on the tear strip although it is not beyond the realm of this invention to place the bump on the tear strip 95. It is also pointed out that when the can body is provided with a bump, the invention may be utilized in conjunction with can bodies other than those having tear strips. There are many instances in the manufacture, packing and filling of cans wherein it is desired to assure the proper endwise orientation of cans. Thus conventional types of cans may be provided with bumps and inverted cans detected in the manner described here.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 4 wherein there is disclosed a modified form of can ejection mechanism which, in lieu of the reject gate 63, utilizes an air nozzle 99 to which air is supplied through an air supply line 100 with the How of air being controlled by a solenoid operated valve 101. In lieu of the wires 81 and 84 being connected to the gate operating solenoid 66, these wires are connected to a solenoid 102 of the valve 101. When an inverted can is detected, the time delay relay will be caused to close and the valve 101 to open to direct air through the nozzle 99 across the path of travel of the cans C with the air blast being sufiicient to force each can coming into alignment with the nozzle 99 into the reject tray 61. When the time delay relay 83 is utilized, three or fourcans will be rejected. However, it is possible to provide a time delay relay which operates in timed relation to the movement of the cans along the conveyor 13 so that only a single can will be rejected. This will serve to reduce the number of cans which must be manually placed back in the can line.

Referring now to FIGURE 5 in particular, it will be seen that there is illustrated still another form of control circuit utilizing the detector contactbar assembly 68. It is to be noted that in the circuit illustrated in FIGURE 5, the power line 81 is connected to the variable speed drive motor 40 and the wire 84 has a switch 103 incorporated therein and is connected to the variable speed drive motor. The time delay relay 83 has been replaced by a normally closed solenoid operated switch 104. Thus, when an inverted can is detected, the switch 104 is automatically opened, and operation of the conveyor 13 stops. After the inverted can has been placed upright on the conveyor 13, the switch 104 may be manually reset to its closed position and the operation of the conveyor 13 continued. The switch 103 is provided for the purpose of stopping the motor 40 when it is desired for reasons other than the presence of an inverted can.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 6 wherein there is shown still another modification of the control circuit of this application. At times it may be desirable to continuously operate the conveyor 13 and not to reject any cans. In such event, a signal device 105 would be provided. The signal device 105 would be connected to the power line 81 and the wire 84 in the same manner as is the solenoid operating device 66. The signal device 105 could be in the form of a light, a noise maker, or a combination of the two as desired.

It will be readily apparent that the inverted can detector disclosed hereinabove is simple in operation and may be incorporated in any part of the conveying portion of a can line for the purpose of detecting inverted cans where such detection is desirable. Also, it is to be pointed out that while the detecting apparatus has been specifically illustrated and described as being positioned for detecting an inverted can and giving a signal when an inverted can exists, it is to be understood that this position of the detector is not so limited and may be varied in accordance with the detecting requirements. Also, it will be readily apparent that the detector disclosed herein, while it is best suited for detecting inverted cans, may be utilized in detecting other articles as far as endwise positions are concerned.

Although only preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the disclosed detecting apparatus within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for determining the endwise orientation of cans wherein the cans are of the type including a can body having a can end secured thereto by means of an outwardly projecting seam and the can body has a tear strip terminating at one end in a projecting tongue, said apparatus comprising a support for cans moving in a predetermined path, a pair of elongated electrical contacts disposed in parallel insulated relation along side said path and being spaced for simultaneous engagement by a can seam and projecting tongue, the one of said contacts adapted to engage can seams being magnetic to assure the engagement of a can seam with said one contact at the time the projecting tongue of the same can is in a position for engagement with the other of said contacts, and means for rotating cans as the cans pass along said contacts.

2. An apparatus for determining the endwise orientation of cans wherein the cans are of the type including a can body having a can end secured thereto by means of an outwardly projecting seam and the can body has a tear strip terminating at one end in a projecting tongue, said apparatus comprising a support for cans moving in a predetermined path, a pair of elongated electrical contacts disposed in parallel insulated relation alongside said path and being spaced for simultaneous engagement by a can seam and projecting tongue, a plane across the face of one contact being slightly offset from a plane across the face of the other contact, said support being tilted with respect to the horizontal whereby cans moving therealong have their axes disposed at an angle to the vertical and can seams aligned with one of said contacts are in rolling engagement therewith, and means for rolling cans along said one contact.

3. An apparatus for determining the endwise orientation of cans wherein the cans are of the type including a can body having a can end secured thereto by means of an outwardly projecting seam and the can body has a tear strip terminating at one end in a projecting tongue, said apparatus comprising a support for cans moving in a predetermined path, a pair of elongated electrical contacts disposed in parallel insulated relation along side said path and being spaced for simultaneous engagement by a can seam and projecting tongue, a plane across the face of one contact being slightly offset from a plane across the face of the other contact, said support being tilted with respect to the horizontal whereby cans moving there along have their axes disposed at an angle to the vertical and can seams aligned with one of said contacts are in rolling engagement therewith, said one contact being magnetic to assure the engagement of a can seam therewith at the time the projecting tongue of the same can is in a position for engagement with the other of said contacts, and means for rolling cans along said one contact.

4. An apparatus for determining the endwise orientation of cans wherein the cans are of the type including a can body having a can end secured thereto by means of an outwardly projecting seam and the can body has a tear strip terminating at one end in a projecting tongue, said apparatus comprising a support for cans moving in a predetermined path, a pair of elongated electrical contacts disposed in parallel insulated relation alongside said path and being spaced for simultaneous engagement by a can seam and projecting tongue, a plane across the face of one contact being slightly offset from a plane across the face of the other contact, said support including a can supporting strip disposed adjacent said contacts for underlying supporting engagement with cans, and an endless conveyor member disposed remote from said contacts for underlying supporting engagement with cans to simultaneously move cans along said support and rotate the cans.

5. An apparatus for detecting and facilitating the removal of inverted cans from a line of moving cans wherein the cans are of the type including a can body having a can end secured thereto by means of an outwardly projecting seam and the can body has a tear strip terminating at one end in a projecting tongue, said apparatus comprising tilted guide means forming a trough for accommodating cans of varying diameters and heights, said guide means including rail means substantially perpendicular to a support for cans moving in a predetermined path, the cans being urged into continuous engagement with said rail means and said support, a pair of elongated electrical contacts disposed in parallel insulated relation and forming a section of said rail means and being spaced for simultaneous engagement by a can seam and projecting tongue, an electrical control circuit connected to said contacts and actuable by inverted cans, and conveyor means having a portion moving parallel to said contacts and in substantially the same plane as said support and being engageable with ends of cans remote from said contacts for simultaneously moving cans along said path and rotating each can at least one full revolution as it passes said contacts.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said electrical control circuit includes a signal device for indicating the existence of an inverted can.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a power unit is provided for driving said conveyor means and said electrical control circuit includes means for controlling the operation of said power unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein can ejection means are positioned along said path, and said electrical control circuit includes means for effecting the actuation of said can ejection means.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said can ejection means are of the air blast type.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said can ejection means includes a gate movable into said path for directing cans therefrom.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a can receiving tray is positioned at one side of said path and can ejection means are positioned adjacent said path opposite said tray for directing cans into said tray, and said electrical control circuit includes means for effecting the actuation of said can ejection means.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a signal device is connected to said electrical control circuit for actuation thereby to indicate the presence of an inverted can.

13. A method of detecting inverted cans of the type having a normally uppermost projecting seam and a projecting tongue disposed below the plane of the seam, said method comprising the steps of tilting the cans from their normal upright positions, advancing the cans along a contact bar unit including two t olltact bars and bringing the gagement forms an electrical bridging conductor therebetween indicating an inverted one.

14. Apparatus for detecting and removing inverted cans from a line of advancing cans wherein the cans are of the type including a can body having a can end secured thereto by means of an outwardly projecting seam and the can body possesses a tear strip terminating at one end in a projecting tongue, the combination comprising a support for moving cans in a predetermined path, a pair of elongated electrical contacts disposed in parallel insulated relation alongside said path and being spaced for simultaneous engagement by a can seam and projecting tongue, said support being tilted with respect to the horizontal whereby cans advancing therealong have their axes disposed at an angle to the vertical and can seams aligned with one of said contacts are in rolling engagement therewith, conveyor means having a portion moving parallel to said contacts and said support and being engageable with ends of cans remote from said contacts and said support for simultaneously advancing cans along said support and rotating each can as it passes said contacts, means for generating a signal upon the bridging of said pair of contacts by the engagement of a can seam and a projecting tongue, means for amplifying said signal, means for delaying said signal, can ejection means positioned adjacent said support, and means for actuating said can ejection means by said delayed signal.

15. The combination as defined in claim 14 wherein said means for delaying said signal includes means for delaying the signal a period of time equal to the advancement of a can from the pair of contacts to the can ejection means.

16. The combination as defined in claim 14 including an output hopper positioned adjacent said can ejection means for receiving ejected cans.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,293,586 8/1942 Bardet 209-88 2,592,260 4/1952 Emerson 209-81 2,742,993 4/1956 Hornmel 209-73 X 2,873,018 2/1959 Dudley 198-33 2,936,869 5/1960 Draudt 198-33 X 2,937,749 5/1960 Strzala 209-88 3,061,071 10/1962 Roehrbein 198-33 3,063,542 11/1962 Boller 198-33 3,101,832 8/1963 Wyle 198-33 3,133,639 5/1964 Spier 209-88 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. 

14. APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AND REMOVING INVERTED CANS FROM A LINE OF ADVANCING CANS WHEREIN THE CANS ARE OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A CAN BODY HAVING A CAN END SECURED THERETO BY MEANS OF AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING SEAM AND THE CAN BODY POSSESSES A TEAR STRIP TERMINATING AT ONE END IN A PROJECTING TONGUE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A SUPPORT FOR MOVING CANS IN A PREDETERMINED PATH, A PAIR OF ELONGATED ELECTRICAL CONTACTS DISPOSED IN PARALLEL INSULATED RELATION ALONGSIDE SAID PATH AND BEING SPACED FOR SIMULTANEOUS ENGAGEMENT BY A CAN SEAM AND PROJECTING TONGUE, SAID SUPPORTING BEING TILTED WITH RESPECT TO THE HORIZONTAL WHEREBY CANS ADVANCING THEREALONG HAVE THEIR AXES DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO THE VERTICAL AND CAN SEAMS ALIGNED WITH ONE OF SAID CONTACTS ARE IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, CONVEYOR MEANS HAVING A PORTION MOVING PARALLEL TO SAID CONTACTS AND SAID SUPPORT AND BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH ENDS OF CANS REMOTE FROM SAID CONTACTS AND SAID SUPPORT FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY ADVANCING CANS ALONG SAID SUPPORT AND ROTATING EACH CAN AS ITS PASSES SAID CONTACTS, MEANS FOR GENERATING A SIGNAL UPON THE BRIDGING OF SAID PAIR OF CONTACTS BY THE ENGAGEMENT OF A CAN SEAM AND A PROJECTING TONGUE, MEANS FOR AMPLIFYING SAID SIGNAL, MEANS FOR DELAYING SAID SIGNAL, CAN EJECTION MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID SUPPORT, AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID CAN EJECTION MEANS BY SAID DELAYED SIGNAL. 